Heart of a Healer and Friend
by Immortal-grace
Summary: When a simple cave exploration goes completely wrong, Legolas is injured. He is lucky that Aragorn and the twins are there but his injurioes are too grave. can he survive? R&R plz
1. Default Chapter

Heart of a healer and friend  
  
"Legolas! Legolas!" Aragorn called. He could hear the twins calling out their friend's name also. "Aragorn!" A soft, pained voice said. Aragorn looked around the cave desperately, holding up a lantern in hopes to see a tad bit better. The bottom of the cave was filled with water, but luckily only to Aragorn's knees. "Call my name again, mellon nin!" Aragorn said, seeing if he could locate Legolas by sound distance.  
  
"I'm here...Aragorn..." Legolas said, he sounded closer. "Elladan! Elrohir! Come, I can hear him!" Aragorn called for his brothers. The twins immediately came to their brother's side and looked around. Elrohir took a shaky breath and took one step back, pointing. Aragorn moved the lantern to where his brother looked and gasped. Legolas lay in the water, on his back, and he was trapped under huge boulders. Blood floated in the water and covered the blonde Elf, who was shivering.  
  
"Hold still, mellon nin. I'm coming." Aragorn said, rushing to his friend. Aragorn dropped to his knees by Legolas and took his friend's hand. "I have to move the boulders, mellon nin, but I need to know the extent of your injury." Aragorn explained. "Just get me out of here." Legolas said in a strong voice. Aragorn nodded and moved to put the Elf's head in his lap. To the Man's surprise, Legolas cried out in agony at the simple move. "Legolas?" Aragorn asked. "Something's wrong..." Legolas said painfully.  
  
"Your head hurts?" Aragorn asked. "I don't know...everything...hurts..." Legolas said painfully. Aragorn thought for a minute and then a horrible thought popped into his head. "You broke your back...that's why." Aragorn concluded. Now, they had to more careful. Legolas shut his eyes as a wave of pain came through. "Change of plan! Elladan, Elrohir...you need to move the boulder and I'll pull him out. His back is broken along with other serious injuries." Aragorn said. The twins nodded and went to look for a stick that would be strong enough to pull back the boulder.  
  
Aragorn put his hand on Legolas' forehead. "Don't worry...I'll get you out of here. Rest now." Aragorn tried to soothe his friend. The twins came back and positioned the stick. Legolas looked helpless, but in too much pain to care or know what was happening. Aragorn moved so he could easily pull Legolas free and nodded to the twins.  
  
They both pulled down on the stick and the boulder started to lift free. Legolas whimpered and Aragorn grasped his friend's hand. The twins tried again and again until, finally, the boulder lifted just enough so Aragorn could slide Legolas out. Once the Prince was out, Elladan and Elrohir set the boulder down and went to their friend.  
  
"We have to move him...it's too risky, but it is even worse to keep him in here." Aragorn said. The twins nodded. "Get me two of our sleeping mats and help me move him." Aragorn said. Legolas grasped his friend's hand when tons of pain came to him. Aragorn leaned over and kissed his friend on the forehead. "Try to relax, it relieves some pressure on your back. That might lessen the pain." Aragorn soothed.  
  
The twins came back with the sleeping mats and helped Aragorn move Legolas. They carried him out and then laid him down on the grassy ground. Aragorn noticed his friend's eyes weren't focused and they were clouded with pain. Elladan and Elrohir started a fire as Aragon examined Legolas' wounds.  
  
"Just as I thought, his back is broken. He has head injuries that are beyond my skill to fully heal...five shattered ribs...dislocated left shoulder...broken leg, ankle and knee...a fever and I think he is slipping into shock and delirium...and this stomach and side wound is where the blood is coming from. The stomach wound is bleeding heavily and the side wound is infected and bleeding steadily. I cannot let him sleep yet because of the head wound, try to keep him awake. We cannot bandage the wounds so the best we can do is stop the bleeding." Aragorn said to himself mainly, but aimed some of it at the twins.  
  
The twins nodded and went to work, trying to stop as much bleeding as possible without hurting Legolas too much. Elrohir tried to keep Legolas awake, but Legolas assured him that he wouldn't sleep because of the pain. Aragorn found a cloth and wetted it with cool water from the small stream. He placed it on Legolas' forehead. The Elf looked around, his eyes still very unfocused, and smiled.  
  
"Now it is you who is caring for me...not the...other way...around..." Legolas said. Aragorn smiled. "You are mistaken, mellon nin. 'tis always I who is caring for you. You barely have to care for me because you are the one who ends up injured." Aragorn said. Legolas looked for Aragorn, finding it rather hard because his eyes were unfocused, and then frowned. "True, but you...don't...have to...rub it in..." Legolas said sleepily. "I shall let you sleep in a moment, Legolas. I still have to look at this head injury...if I let you sleep, you...might not wake again." Aragorn said, seeing his friend's tiredness.  
  
Legolas made no answer, but cried out in agony as convulsions took over. The twins backed away from the wounds and watched Aragorn. "This will make his back worse...we have to get him to Ada." Aragorn said as Legolas gripped the Man's hand. "Is that how bad it hurts, mellon nin?" Aragorn said softly.  
  
Tears fell through Legolas' tightly closed eyes. Aragorn ran his hand down the sides of Legolas' face, pushing tears away. "Everything will be okay...I know it will. We are going to get you to Rivendell very soon." Aragorn soothed over Legolas' agonizing cries. "Estel, the only way we'd make it to Rivendell in time is by horseback. Legolas is in no condition to ride horseback...it'd kill him. One of us should go to Rivendell and bring back Ada. He could heal Legolas right here...or at least make him stable enough to ride back to Rivendell and then heal him fully in the Houses of Healing." Elladan said.  
  
Aragorn nodded. It was the only way it would work. "Okay, but you and Elrohir should go in case something attacks you. I will keep Legolas hidden and wait for your arrival." Aragorn said. The twins nodded and Elrohir whistled for the horses, who were waiting. "If all goes well, we should return by tomorrow at nightfall." Elladan said and the two took off.  
  
Aragorn reached into his pack and grabbed a shirt. Legolas would freeze with wet clothes on. After the horrible convulsions died down, Aragorn changed Legolas into the clothes. The button-up shirt hung loosely over the thin Elf. "Hannon le." Legolas said. Aragorn nodded and then placed his free hand on the back of Legolas' head. The Prince hissed in pain and winced, but said nothing.  
  
"I cannot make you stay awake any longer. It should be safe to sleep now. Rest and when you wake, I will be here. I won't leave you." Aragorn said, moving his hand from the head injury and wiped a few tears from Legolas' face. The Elf smiled, unable to nod, and was asleep soon.  
  
If anyone wanted to harm Legolas, they would have to face Aragorn first. The Man hoped that Elladan and Elrohir would be on time and he hoped Legolas would be okay.  
  
No matter what, Aragorn wouldn't leave Legolas alone. 


	2. Till there's no tomorrow

Till there's no tomorrow  
  
I'll be your friend till the very end...  
  
Through dangers..  
  
Through snares...  
  
Through perils you could never face alone...  
  
I may be Mortal and you may be Immortal...  
  
But, you will be my friend forever...  
  
To the end of my days...  
  
We may fight...  
  
All friends do...  
  
But they make up too...  
  
You may be injured, I may be fine...  
  
But I'll never leave you alone to the pain...  
  
We will remember...  
  
It's hard to forget...  
  
The memories we share...  
  
The memories we can never forget...  
  
I will die...  
  
And you will go on...  
  
You told me once, "You'll be in my heart forever, even after I die."...  
  
I hold you to your word...  
  
I believe every word you said had indeed been true...  
  
We may never meet in death...  
  
A sad fate to face...  
  
But if friendship lasts...  
  
Anything can happen....  
  
Beyond the day when there is no tomorrow...  
  
You shall stay my friend...  
  
BY; IMMORTAL-GRACE (don't use my poem unless you ask me. If you ask, I may say "yes") 


	3. Deep trust

Deep trust  
  
Aragorn sat back and watched his friend sleep. He had made a small schedule in his mind;  
  
Every two hours he would check to see if Legolas was coherent enough and to also see if the Elf still had memory of what happened.  
  
Keep Legolas as warm as possible (so he had a fever, yes, but if he shivered...)  
  
Check Legolas' wounds, but don't touch the broken bones.  
  
Aragorn lifted his head to the sound a twig snap. Nothing was there. He had been trying to remember that list for about two hours now and he was glad it was only three things. The Man was about to wake the Elf when the Elf woke by himself. "Welcome back to the being among the awake again, Legolas. How do you feel?" Aragorn asked scooting closer to his friend. "Cold...and pain...and everything is so blurry, for Valar's sake...it's too blurry!" Legolas said in the strongest voice he could manage.  
  
"You had a bad head injury, Legolas. Your vision might be like that for a few days. At least you can see." Aragorn explained, taking his friend's hand. "What happened?" Legolas asked. Aragorn's heart sank. "You don't remember the accident?" Aragorn tried. "Yes, I remember that just fine...I mean...what...do you think...happened? What...did I hit my head on?" Legolas managed to say and Aragorn's heart shot back up.  
  
"A smaller rock maybe...or when you went down, you hit the floor. Do you remember blacking out at all?" Aragorn asked. "Yes, when the cave shook and the rock shower first began..." Legolas recalled distantly. The Elf was too exhausted and started to drift back to sleep. "That's okay, mellon nin. Sleep." Aragorn said and soon the Elf had fallen asleep.  
  
//FLASHBACK//  
  
~Aragorn, Legolas, Elladan and Elrohir walked around the cave, searching for a way out. They had been in there over four hours and they were lost. "Let's face it. We're lost in a cave." Legolas said, carelessly making himself fall backwards onto the wall. He leaned his back against the cool stone and tried to see a spot where Aragorn's lantern did not shine. "Aragorn, come here. What's that?" Legolas called.  
  
Aragorn's lamp revealed the water coming in. "It won't flood. It doesn't even pass my knees and if it were going any higher, it would be to my stomach right about now." Aragorn assured his friend. Without warning, Legolas pushed Aragorn away. Aragorn went back some ten feet and where he had been standing there were now rocks.  
  
"Legolas! Are you okay?" Aragorn cried. "Yeah, I'm just dandy! Sitting in the middle of a cave...LOST!...and now this...SURE, I'm fine!" Legolas called back. Aragorn tested his friend's voice and found no trace of pain, so he assumed his friend was really okay. Aragorn laughed. "Sounds like an Elf to me." Aragorn called back. "Elladan! Elrohir! Are you two okay?" Legolas called, ignoring Aragorn. "Just fine!" Came two replies.  
  
"We'll never get through this rock and we can't just sit here forever!" Legolas called. They agreed to go search for the exit and walked away from the wall of rock~//  
  
//END FLASHBACK//  
  
"Aragorn?" Legolas weak voice brought Aragorn back from the flashback. "Yes, mellon nin?" Aragorn asked from where he sat by a tree. "Something's wrong." Legolas breathed in a shaky and scared voice. Aragorn scooted closer to his friend again and grasped his friend's hand. "What?" Aragorn asked. Legolas put a hand to his chest and closed his eyes for a minute. Aragorn gently moved Legolas' hand (for the Elf had used his left hand and his left shoulder was dislocated) and put his free hand to feel the Elf's chest.  
  
"You broke your lower ribs so it's not that..." Aragorn mumbled to Legolas as he felt for something wrong. "Aragorn it hurts..." Legolas said desperately. "I believe you." Aragorn said and moved the blankets down a bit. He unbuttoned the shirt and gasped. A red rash spread across the Elf's chest and there was a significant amount of bruising.  
  
"There is something really wrong..." Legolas mumbled deliriously. What Aragorn feared the most was happening...Legolas was starting to slip into a state of shock. The rash and bruises only resulted from when the rocks hit him first. Legolas' eyes closed and his breathing slowed. Aragorn put his hand to the Elf's scraped and bruised chest to feel for a heartbeat. Sure enough, it was there, but barely.  
  
Why hadn't Aragorn noticed Legolas' chest when he changed the shirt? Aragorn touched Legolas' good shoulder. "Wake up, mellon nin. Please." Aragorn begged. "I am awake...I'm trying to stop the pain...just...a little..." Legolas said, his eyes still closed. Aragorn had to get Legolas' mind off the pain. "What happened in the cave after we went to find the exit?" Aragorn asked, hoping the question would work.  
  
"Well...  
  
//FLASHBACK//  
  
~Legolas walked in the dark, his Elven senses helping him not to bump into the wall. He was glad that no Orcs or Urak-hai were in the cave. He hummed an Elvish tune and continued to look for some kind of exit. He saw a light and walked a little closer. His senses were telling him not to go, but he needed to get out.  
  
Something grabbed his shoulder and pinned him to the ground. "An Elf! Lookie at what I found!" Legolas recognized the tone to be that of an Urak- hai. "OH! It's so lovely!" Another one said. Legolas struggled. They bound his hands behind his back. "Very lovely indeed! Possibly the most beautiful in all Middle-Earth!" Another one said. Legolas saw their outlines in the dark and counted about 15.  
  
"Let me go!" Legolas cried, struggling with the ropes. "Not until we have a little fun, Elf." One said and about 12 or 13 Urak-hai stood above Legolas. The Elf closed his eyes and felt the pile in on him. He screamed, but nothing would save him. He felt one claw his stomach a few times.  
  
Still, he struggled under the weight and the ropes. Sometime later, after seemed like hours of torment, they stopped. They untied Legolas, but the Elf was too shaken to move. The Urak-hai laughed and walked away. Then the cave shook and rocks fell...  
  
//END FLASHBACK//  
  
Aragorn looked at his friend, pity filling into his heart. "Why didn't you tell me before?" He asked softly. Legolas closed his eyes and tears slipped past. Aragorn moved the blanket a little and moved the over-sized shirt and saw that scratch marks. They were turning red and black now. "I should have known. Urak-hai in the caves sounds a little...peculiar. I'm so sorry, mellon nin, it's all my fault." Aragorn said, covering his friend again. "No, it's not." Legolas said, his eyes still closed and tears falling silently.  
  
Aragorn smoothed his friend's hair, unable to do anything else for comfort because of Legolas' back. "Rest now, mellon nin. You'll feel better after some sleep." Aragorn said, hoping he was right. Legolas kept his eyes closed and soon the tears stopped when the Elf was fully asleep. Aragorn sat by his friend's side, still smoothing the soft Elven hair.  
  
He should have known... 


	4. Caring for a friend

Caring for a friend  
  
Two days passed before Aragorn caught sight of Elladan or Elrohir (he couldn't tell from a distance) and Lord Elrond. They came up on horseback and Aragorn waved his free arm, while still sitting next to Legolas. As they came closer, Aragorn noticed that it was the older twin, Elladan. Elrond had a bag with him, an old leather one that Aragorn found for him. They pulled up and Elrond jumped off his horse and went to the young Elf's side.  
  
"Wake him up while I set up." Elrond said. Aragorn nodded and leaned closer to his friend. "Mellon nin, wake up. My Ada is here and he's going to help you." Aragorn whispered and soon Legolas came around. Elrond put his hand to Legolas' forehead. "He's burning up." Elrond muttered and Aragorn put a wet cloth onto his friend's forehead. "I know. It got worse yesterday...no, no, Legolas...stay awake..." Aragorn said and Legolas began to slip into sleep. "Alright." Legolas mumbled, forcing himself not to sleep. Aragorn smiled and then looked to his father and frowned again.  
  
"I would have taken him to Rivendell, but his back is broken and I can't move him." Aragorn said. Elrond nodded. "The twins told me everything." Elrond said. The older Elf looked down to Legolas. "I need to move you onto your stomach. It will hurt, but Aragorn will stay with you." Elrond explained. Legolas didn't answer.  
  
"Aragorn, come here for a moment." Elrond said and he got up. The Lord of Rivendell walked about 20 feet from the injured Elf and Aragorn followed. "I need to operate. I need to open his back and splint from the inside." Elrond said, still looking at Legolas. Aragorn feared this, but he nodded. "I will not leave his side." Aragorn said stubbornly. "I know." Elrond said, walking back to Legolas. Aragorn followed and sat back down.  
  
"Elladan come help me move Legolas onto his stomach." Elrond called. Elladan walked over and stood by his father. "Slowly, so we do not harm his back any further." Elrond said. The older twin nodded and slowly father and son moved Legolas onto his stomach. Legolas cried out in agony softly and forced himself to keep his eyes open. He gripped Aragorn's hand tighter as pain exploded everywhere. Elrond told Elladan something and the older twin went to the horses.  
  
They couldn't drug Legolas at all, so the poor Elf would have to feel the pain of the operation. Elrond quickly explained to Legolas what he was going to do and the Elf whispered something that sounded like, "I trust you.". Elrond dug into his bag and found the knife he needed. He took off the shirt that Aragorn had lent his friend and put the blankets only over his legs. The younger Elf shivered and then moaned in pain.  
  
Aragorn held his friend's hand and vowed not to leave. Elrond placed the knife onto Legolas' back and cut. Legolas closed his eyes and gripped Aragorn's hand. Aragorn moved Legolas' hair out of the way as blood flowed. "Remember when you came to my room that one night and woke me up? It scared me to death because I thought something was wrong. You told me that I was your best friend in the world. I remember laughing because I was so relieved." Aragorn recalled, trying to distract Legolas.  
  
"I remember." Legolas said softly, a smile coming to his lips. Aragorn continued to talk to his friend as Elrond worked. "I'm finished...now all I have to do is stitch this up." Elrond said. Aragorn started to talk again until Elrond finished.  
  
"When we get to Rivendell, I will splint your back properly." Elrond told the Elf. Legolas was in too much pain to answer. The younger Elf just lay still. "How many stitches was that?" Aragorn asked, looking at his father's work. "About 140, I believe." Aragorn's eyes widened. "Let him rest for a while and then we will head home." Elrond said, exhaustion in his voice.  
  
Aragorn nodded and then laid the oversized shirt onto his friend's back. Aragorn pulled the covers up over his friend again. "Hannon...le" Legolas whispered. "Everything's alright now, mellon nin. Rest and when you wake, you'll be in Rivendell." Aragorn said.  
  
This time, Legolas couldn't fall asleep because the pain was too strong. He kept his eyes closed, but Aragorn knew his friend wasn't asleep. "I will slaughter every Urak-hai I come into contact with because of what happened to you. I cannot kill the same ones who harmed you, for they are dead, but I can kill those of the same kin. I will even attack the Urak-hai if they aren't attacking me." Aragorn whispered softly.  
  
One single tear slipped passed Legolas' closed eyes.  
  
Aragorn remembered Legolas' head injury and motioned for his father. "I need you to take a look at his head injury." Aragorn said as his father sat on the ground opposite of Aragorn. Elrond placed a hand gently on the back of Legolas' head. Swelling. The spot where he had hit his head was swelling. "I cannot do much with what I brought. I will take a look when we arrive in Rivendell." Elrond said. "How bad is it?" Aragorn called after his father as the older Elf walked away.  
  
"Not too bad, but it could kill him if I don't take a look at it soon. Let's head to Rivendell now." Elrond said and walked to the horses. He held them by their reins and led them closer to the injured Elf so they wouldn't have to carry Legolas very far.  
  
Aragorn and Elrond moved Legolas onto a horse and Aragorn jumped on behind his friend. The injured Elf tried to keep himself sitting up and Aragorn noticed this. "Lean against me, mellon nin. You will hurt yourself further." Aragorn said and helped Legolas ease himself back to rest against Aragorn. The Man went as slow as possible so that Legolas wouldn't be too rustled up.  
  
They would be home soon. 


End file.
